Discover traditional crafts of knife-making, washi paper and tansu cabinetry at Echizen City in Fukui. Experience Echizen City Echizen City, in Fukui Prefecture, is home to some of Japan’ s most famous crafts. As well as seeing the famous temples and shrines, visit Echizen to discover and learn about the traditional crafts of knife-making, Washi paper and tansu cabinetry.

Echizen knives

Based in Takefu Knife Village, the skilled work of Echizen’ s knife makers is world-renowned. Echizen knives, or uchihamono, are held in high regard and known for their quality and precision, forged through precision craftsmanship.

Echizen uchihamono was born approximately 700 years ago, when a Fuchu-bound (now Echizen City) artisan from began making sickles for local farmers along the way, and ourished as trade routes opened up during the Edo Period. At Takefu Knife Village, visitors who make a reservation can try their hand at forging their own Echizen knife. Here the local experts can teach you the process and supervise you Takefu Knife Village through the skilled process from start to nish. Takefu Knife 22-91 Yokawa-cho, Echizen-shi, Fukui Village sells a number of high quality products. Tel: +81-778-27-7120 Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (daily) Many knife forging legends are located in this area, from Admission: Free Shimizu Uchihamono (famed for forging 1.5m tuna-cutting knives, magurogiri) to the Takamura knife factory (whose At the Hamono no Sato of the Echizen Uchihamono Kaikan, knives are used by Noma in Copenhagen as well as many visitors can buy numerous knife products, as well as place Michelin-star chefs). orders via their online store:

Takefu Knife Village is open year round (9am-5pm) and is http://www.echizenuchihamono.com/index.html about 15 minutes by car/taxi from JR Takefu Station: WASHI

Washi paper

Designated a traditional craft in 1976, the Japanese paper ‘washi’ has been produced in Echizen city for 1500 years. Learn about washi’ s history by visiting Echizen’ s Paper & Culture Museum where you can discover the origins of the craft and learn how generations of legends passed on their skilled techniques.

Then visit the Udatsu Paper & Craft Museum where you can witness skilled experts at work at the heart of the Paper Village, Washi no Sato. Visit the Papyrus Kan to experience making traditional paper yourself, before

wandering around the wider Goka area to get a feel for the small paper making businesses operating in this beautiful valley surrounded by green mountains.

With artists from Taikan Yokoyama to Pablo Picasso using techniques originating in the washi production process, Echizen is well recognised as the true origin of traditional paper manufacturing and the centre of washi paper production in Japan. Ingredients including paper mulberry, ganpi, bush and hemp are used throughout the production process. Tansu cabinetry Echizen city is also famous for its tansu furniture, which are essentially mobile storage cabinets with multiple drawers, often with intricate iron plating and distinct designs. Tansuyas (tansu craftsmen) would utilise both hard and softwoods to fashion these amazing cabinets, utilizing a combination of elm, chestnut, pine, cedar, Paulownia and Hinoki cypress.

Because of Echizen’ s establishment in the knife-making culture, the iron platings used on the cabinets are prepared using the same skills and technologies as the knives, making them rm and durable. The designs on the platings are typically owers such as chrysanthemum and lotus.

Tansu were predominantly used for mobile storage, not permanent xtures, in keeping with the minimalist aesthetic typical of Japanese homes. With iron handles and later wooden wheels, tansu could be moved quickly and at short notice. Their usage ranged from home storage to business related bookkeeping, where they became a symbol of wealth and status.

● Location footprint also extends to electronics and Nagoya reaches Takefu Station via Maibara, apparel, making it a key industrial base in the Located in the heart of Fukui along Japan’ s which is also served by the Tokaido Chūbu region. Shinkansen. Kyoto and can also be northern coast, Echizen was born in 2005 as reached via connecting trains at Tsuruga a result of the merger between Takefu city ● How to get there Station on the . The JR Pass serves and Imadate area. The city is surrounded by Echizen can be reached by domestic plane all these routes. rivers and mountains that help set Echizen via Komatsu Airport in the north, which apart as a rural paradise with a rich, verdant connects to Takefu Station in Echizen which surrounding providing the foundations for takes about 1 hour. Internationally, if coming local industry. through Kansai Airport in Osaka, the train to Shin-Osaka, then the ● Historical/economical overview or Raicho service, can take you The city has historically played a central role to Fukui in about 3 and a half hours. The Echizen City in the Hokuriku region, both culturally and journey is about 1 hour 40 minutes from economically, and features a wide range of Osaka, or just over 1 hour from Kyoto, and sites of historical and cultural importance, the JR Pass is valid on all these routes, as well including the famous Okafuto Shrine. as the Limited Express and Tokaido Well-known both throughout Japan and Shinkansen. Shirasagi overseas, Echizen’ s traditional craft To get to Echizen by train, visitors arrive at industries help promote both Japanese Takefu Station along the JR Hokuriku Line, Echizen City Tourism Association traditional culture and the local expertise of which connects Toyama in the north to http://welcome-echizenshi.com/ Echizen’ s skilled artisans. From the Maibara (Shiga) in the south. As well as the production of Echizen washi paper, to Haruka Limited Express, Thunderbird and uchihamono knives to sashimono furniture Raicho services (which connected Kyoto and and tansu, Echizen’ s manufacturing Osaka), the Shirasagi Limited Express from